They made us laugh, they made us cry, they warmed our hearts with their vulnerabilities. From slow burn to passionate romances, sagas of revenge and retribution. Super-heroic feats of ordinary people in extraordinary situations, there was not a dull moment in the K-drama Universe.
These are the 8 K-Dramas which made it to our best of 2023 list:
Moving
It is rightly called the drama of the year. A stunning yet complex superhero saga, Moving had the viewers invested. Based on a webtoon by Kang Full, it is a fantasy action drama about teenagers who have superhuman powers. However, they also need to grapple with their parents who have their own painful secrets. They all team up to battle powerful dark forces which threaten multiple generations across different eras.
It was the electrifying chemistry between Jo In Sung’s Kim Doo Sik, a black ops agent and Han Hyo Joo’s Lee Mi Hyun, a harried yet strict single mother, which made the show a hit.
Where To Watch: Disney+Hotstar
The Good Bad Mother
Raw and moving, The Good Bad Mother was an emotional rollercoaster. Lee Do Hyun proved yet again why he remains an extraordinary talent in this searing drama about a mother and her son.
Young Soon (Ra Mi Ran) is a single mother, who runs a pig farm. She has left no stone unturned in raising her son Kang Ho, to the extent of being overtly strict and unrelenting in her aspirations for him. Kang Ho (Lee Do Hyun) grows up to be a promising lawyer, but it seems power has corrupted him. An accident sees him regress to an eight-year-old. As mother and son find their way back to each other, it is also time to face the past.
The nuanced and emotive storytelling and performances make this one a must-watch.
Where to Watch: Netflix
My Dearest
Another top favourite of the year is the period drama, My Dearest which was perhaps one of the most-watched shows of the year. An unusual love story between a man who has sworn to never fall in love and a woman who has not given up on love despite two failed marriages. Starring Namgoong Min and Ahn Eun Jin the drama scored for its enthralling narrative and the intense and heart-wrenching love story.
Where to Watch: Viki
Twinkling Watermelon
A fantasy coming-of-age story told through the eyes of a CODA (child of deaf adults) who is caught between his passion to pursue music and his responsibility towards his parents and brother.
Eun Gyeol (Ryeoun) shoulders big responsibilities, as the only person who can hear in his family, he helps his parents and older brother by interpreting their signs into words. He discovers his flair for music but gets into a spot with his father on the same.
Eun Gyeol himself is taken back in time to the year 1995, only to end up meeting the younger version of his father played by Choi Hyun Wook, who is an aspiring musician. He meets the Cello goddess and the school’s most sought-after girl Se Kyung (Seol In Ah) and the ice princess Chung Ah (Shin Eun Sol) who is an artist and has been deaf since birth. It is a time slip coming of age drama which packs in parent-child dynamics, growing pains, and friendship to pursuing your dreams. Don’t miss this one.
Where To Watch: Viki
Crash Course In Romance
An unlikely love story between a haughty Math tutor who can ace any formula but is a complete rookie when it comes to the algorithm of love and a former handball player who runs a side dish store. Set against the backdrop of S Korea’s hyper-competitive education system, Crash Course In Romance is a heartwarming romance which goes beyond being just another peppy rom-com. Starring Jung Kyung Ho and Jeon Do Yeon the drama focussed on how adults who have shied away from commitment find their way towards each other.
Where To Watch: Netflix
The Glory
We got the riveting follow up The Glory part 1. As Song Hye Kyo’s Moon Dong Eun, seeks retribution for the brutal bullying she underwent in High School, she leaves no stone unturned in correcting the wrongs. As she cleverly plots revenge and the perpetrators of school violence led by Park Yeon Jin (Lim Ji Yeon) fall into her trap, she is supported by Joo Yeo Jeong (Lee Do Hyun) a plastic surgeon who us carrying his own emotional baggage. The Glory Part 2 was disturbing but a telling tale of the rampant bullying in S Korean schools and social economic disparities which exist in capitalist societies. It was Song Hye Kyo’s restrained performance which was the true star of the show and the actor deserved every award which came her way.
Where to Watch: Netflix
My Demon
This one is a devilishly delicious rom-com. A steamy love story between a haughty CEO played by Kim Yoo-jung and a 200-year-old demon played by Song Kang who seems to have lost his powers. When the two enter into a contractual marriage, well it does not take too long for passion to take a lead in their relationship. The searing chemistry has the audience clutching their hearts as the two leads sweep us along on a fiery roller coaster.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Perfect Marriage Revenge
Han Yi Joo Jung Yoo Min is a submissive people-pleaser who is easily manipulated by her family, her husband, and her in-laws. Yi Joo soon realises that not only has her husband betrayed her, but her scheming adoptive mother and sister have been forever playing and using her. A twist in fate leads Yi Joo to right the wrongs in her life. She finds the perfect bait in Seo Do Guk (Sung Hoon) the aloof heir to a vast fortune asks him to marry her, and starts on her plan for revenge.
The drama was taut, and pacy and the chemistry between Sung Hoon and Jung Yoo Min was scorching.
Where To watch: Viki